Container



March 26, 1957 N.- H. NELSON 2,786,595

CONTAINER Filed Nov. 6, 1955 I If k /a ,flnbem'ov 4 Mas H. Maison United States Patent CONTAINER I Nels H. Nelson, Spencer, Iowa Application November 6, 1953, Serial No. 390,588 2 Claims. (Cl. 220-1) This invention relates to containers and more particularly to a container that may be used to hold cigarettes, or serve as a cigarette ash receptacle.

Cigarette holding containers, and ash receptacles are old. However, one often has cigarettes but there is no suitable ash tray or receptacle available.

Therefore, the principal object of my invention is to provide a non-burnable package for holding the cigarettes at times of sale that is capable of also being utilized as an effective tobacco ash receptacle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a combination cigarette holding can and ash container, that merely requires the reversement of its lid portion to convert it from a cigarette container to a tobacco ash receptacle.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a combination cigarette and tobacco ash receptacle that is refined in appearance, economical in manufacture, and durable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my container being used as a package for cigarettes,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of my container holding cigarettes,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the container with the lid turned over for converting the container into an ash receptacle, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the container being used as a tobacco ash receptacle.

The body portion of my device is in the form of an open top can having a circular vertical wall and a bottom 11. In the center of the bottom 11, I have formed a cone portion 12. The bottom periphery of this cone portion 12 terminates short of the cylindrical wall 10 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. The numeral 13 generally designates the lid portion. When the lid is placed on the top of the container as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, its rim shoulder 14 frictionally enters the top of the can, and is thereby yieldingly held thereon. The outer rim portion of the lid limits the movement of the lid into the can. When the lid is reversed, this outer rim portion 15 extends downwardly to yieldingly engage the outer side of the can rim as shown in Fig. 4. To accomplish this reversible feature of the lid, it will be noted that in Fig. 4, the entire rim portion of the lid extends, first, downwardly, then outwardly, and then downwardly. The first mentioned downwardly extending portion, is of a diameter substantially that of the inside diameter of the cup can, and the second mentioned downwardly extending portion is of a diameter substantially that of the outside diameter of the cup can. The numeral 16 designates the 2,786,595 Patented Mar. 26, 1957 central portion of the lid and which is in the form of a cone. When the lid is placed on the container as shown in Fig. 2, the cone portion 16 (which is the major area of the lid) will extend upwardly but when the lid is turned over and placed on the container as shown in Fig. 4, the portion 16 will be an inverted cone portion to form a hopper top for the reception of cigarette butt 17, tobacco ash and like. This portion 16 terminates at its center area into a tube portion 18. The numeral 19 designates a cone shaped bafile member embracing the free end of the tube 18. In Fig. 2, the tube 18 will extend upwardly, but when the lid is reversed it will extend downwardly and the baflle 19 will be an inverted cone inside the can as shown in Fig. 4. With the lid, on the container as shown in Fig. 4, the center vertical plane of the tube 18 will vertically intersect the point of the bottom cone portion 12. The height of the wall 10 is such that the bottom of the tube and cone bafile will be spaced apart and above the plane of the cone portion 12 when the device is used as an ash receptacle. When the device is used to hold cigarettes 20, and the lid is in place as shown in Fig. 2, the walls of the hopper cone portion 16 and cone 12 will extend substantially parallel with each other. My device may be used by anyone, either as a holder of cigarettes or as an ash receptacle merely by the reversement of the lid. Obviously the seller of cigarettes may well package them in my device as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the purchaser may then after the removal of the cigarettes, reverse the lid as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and use the device as a tobacco ash receptacle. When the device is used as an ash receptacle, it is merely necessary to manually drop the cigarette butt into the hopper top. Thence the butt will fall through the tube 18, strike the cone 12, and thence roll to one side of the bottom of the can. No trap door or moving part is needed to extinguish the ignited cigarette butt. Any smoke therefrom will be guided upwardly and outwardly by the bafile 19 and away from the bottom of the tube 18. Also the baffle 19 will trap the smoke, odors and like in the space area above it and below the lid. Lack of oxygen will quickly extinguish the smouldering cigarette butt.

When the device is used to hold cigarettes, the distance between the parallel circular walls of the bottom 12 and portion 16 will be substantially that of the lengths of the cigarettes being held. Due to this cone arrangement the cigarettes will be held progressively higher as the progress toward the center of the can. This facilitates their manual removal. For sealing purposes and prior to use, a disc 21 may be used to close the tube 18.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that I have provided a container that may be used either as a cigarette container or an ash receptacle merely by the reversement of the lid portion.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my container without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a cylindrical cup portion having a cone shaped bottom, a lid for said cup having a central cone portion terminating in an opening, a cylindrical tube secured to said lid in concentric axial alignment with the said cone portion therein and communicating with its opening, a cone shaped bafiie secured concentrically about said tube, parallel to and spaced apart from the cone portion of said lid, a means for temporarily closing said opening in said lid, and a compound rim on said lid for detachably reversibly securing said lid to said cup portion by friction so that its central cone portion may be selectively positioned to extend upwardly and-inwardly or downwardly and inwardly, said rim having two concentric vertical cylindrical areas, one of said vertical areas being of a size to frictionally engage the top inner side of said cup portion when said lid is in cup'closing position with its conical portion pointed upwardly and the other of said vertical areas being of a size to frictionally engage the top outer side of said cup when the lid is in cup closing position with its conical-portion pointed downwardly.

2. In a device of the class described, a cylindrical cup portion, a lid for said cup having a central cone portion terminatingin an opening, a cylindrical tube secured to said lid in concentric axial alignment with the said cone portion therein and communicating with its opening, a cone shaped bafiie secured concentrically about said tube, parallel to and spaced apart from the cone portion of said lid, a means for temporarily closing said opening in said lid, and a compound rim on said lid for detachably reversibly securing said lid to said cup portion so that its central cone portion may be selectively positioned to extend upwardly and inwardly or downwardly and inwardly, said rim having two concentric vertical cylindrical areas, one of said vertical areas being of a size to frictionally engage the top inner side of said cup portion when said lid is in cup closing position with its conical portion pointed upwardly and the other of said vertical areas being of a size to frictionally engage the top outer side of said cup when the lid is in cup closing position with its conical portion pointed downwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 135,937 Potwin Feb. 18, 1873 661,493 Case Nov. 13, 1900 1,216,031 Wilcox Feb. 13, 1917 1,585,524 Bass May 18, 1926 1,644,821 Eckart Oct. 11, 1927 1,756,760 Reich Apr. 29, 1930 2,031,312 Horlick Feb. 18, 1936 2,275,305 Morgan Mar. 3, 1942 2,440,387 Weddle Apr. 27, 1948 2,467,949 Thomas Apr. 19, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 331,486 Great Britain June 25, 1930 530,770 Germany Aug. 1, 1931 

